People

Positive reinforcement — it’s not a new concept, but in the ultracompetitive, at times overly masculine, world of sports, it’s often sorely underutilized. Some coaches degrade players, reward results over effort and pit teammates against one another. By Giles Bruce

Kansas University astronomy professor Gregory Rudnick looks back in time — literally. Using a telescope, he can see millions of years into the past, studying how our universe has evolved in the more than 13 billion years since the Big Bang. And he and fellow scientists are planning to look deeper into space than ever before. By Giles Bruce

Michael Branicky has a big job ahead of him. But that’s what drew him away from his hometown of Cleveland, where he’d spent most of his life, to take charge of Kansas University’s School of Engineering. By Matt Erickson